Highschool, Conspiracies, and Heartbreak
by Mysticat
Summary: Junior year has started for Sakura Haruno and she is less than happy about it. But when one of her closest friends, Sasuke Uchiha begins to act strangely so Sakura decides to find out why. What she finds is a problem that transcends bad grades, getting to class late, or spraining her wrist in a fighting match. AU


Sakura hurled a well timed punch at her target. Then another. Then another. The heavy black punching bag swayed back and fourth slowly. It's chains groaned from the constant strain of the great load it had to bear. One more punch sent the bag colliding with the wall behind it. Sakura wailed on the sturdy punching bag, sending a relentless flurry of kicks and punches directly at it. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead and arms alike. She'd been at it since sunrise beating on the poor black bag and now the sun was beginning to set. Her day was composed of nothing but getting up, training until lunch, here she was, still training. Each assault on the bag sent searing pain up her arm. But she couldn't stop now. She couldn't fall behind.

"Hey, didn't I tell you light training only? That sprain isn't going to get better if you can't take it easy."

Sakura spun around to see the overseer of the medical board and 5th Hokage, Tsunade, leaning against the doorway leading into the gym.

"Heh, you know as well as I do I can't take it easy. I may be out for the season but keeping up is still important." The girl pushed a lock of damp, pink hair out of her face, panting heavily as she looked up at her advisor.

"And if you continue at this intensity of training, you're not going to be out for just a season. Sakura, you have one last day of summer. Tomorrow you'll be back in school. Wasting the last day here is almost criminal." Tsunade's eyes held a characteristic stoniness to them. She meant business.

"What do you want me to do? Hinata's still on vacation and Ino's at the spa today." Sakura responded, hoping that'd be enough of an excuse for Tsunade to leave her be. Sakura was so close to nationals she could envision herself delivering the final bone shattering blow and winning all the glory. Her daydreams were shattered a week ago when she twisted her wrist badly. She wasn't about to let an injury stop her from improving, nor Tsunade for that matter.

All the sudden Sakura's mind went back over what her overseer said. School. Tomorrow. She started junior year tomorrow. Oh god was she not prepared. Yes, she finished her summer assignments but mentally she was anything but ready. She had one last day to enjoy herself. Maybe she shouldn't waste it on a punching bag.

"On the other hand I think I'll find someone to hang out with." She said sharply, hustling to her duffel bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

Tsunade gave a smug grin as she followed the young girl out of the gym. Sakura could tell by the glint in her overseer's eyes the pride she put into getting Sakura to stop training for the moment.

As soon as Sakura saw the light of day, she darted off in the direction of her home with Tsunade still watching her. When Tsunade was no longer in sight, Sakura took out her phone and sat on a nearby bench. She cursed herself inwardly for letting summer pass her by as it did. It couldn't be helped now though. Her summer died the moment she became invested in competing, she wished she had realized to before. Now all of her friends were doing some sort of last minute end-of-summer thing. All expect one.

Sakura opened her phone contacts and scrolled through to find a specific name:

_Uzumaki Naruto_

Naruto was practically her best friend. The two were inseparable ever since they met each other in the third grade. He was an outcast with no friends or family back then. Sakura originally befriended him out of sympathy, but after awhile his high energy and positivity grew on her. For the last few weeks Naruto had been complaining about having nothing to do without Sakura and their other friend Sasuke around. He probably wouldn't be doing anything now. Upon finding his contact, the pink haired girl selected his number and waited for him to pick out. It only took one ring for the boy to answer the phone with a jovial _"Hey! What's up?"_

Sakura wasted no time in responding.

"Nothing I guess. Just bored. Today is the last day of summer so maybe we could hang out? There's a pretty good restaurant in near my house if you want to go."

Silence echoed over from Naruto's side of the phone.

"Wait, today is the last day of summer?! Goddamn it, I completely forgot. I still need to read the free choice book for World Lit!" The sound of frantic footsteps could be heard in the background followed by the repeated phrase _"I'm so dead. This is my last day of living."_

Sakura sighed to herself in defeat. Looks like her last day of summer would be spent friendless if Naruto decide to cram the whole reading into one day. Once the scurrying and desperate mummers subside, Naruto's voice resonated through the phone again.

"Shit, I can't find it. Oh well. Looks like I'll just have to wing it on the report."

"Again." Sakura stated.

"Again." Naruto sighed with a sudden guilt at the mention of his many failed assignments due to his laziness.

"On the bright side, Ino's house party is in a week! I know I'm gonna be there!" Naruto continued, regaining his usual perkiness.

Sakura clutched her phone tighter at the mention of Ino's party. She'd forgotten completely about it. Ino threw the wildest, most amazing parties in all of Konoha. At least three times her friend Kiba came single and left drunk and with three girls from school. Sakura knew Naruto wanted her to go. He always asked if she was coming. Truth be told, no matter how fun or wild they got, Sakura enjoyed hanging out in small groups much more. Partying wasn't her thing for the most part.

"Sorry Naruto, I think I'll pass this once. School work is going to be kicking my ass more than ever. Yesterday I found out three essays are due next Monday. Working on them will be a ton harder if I also chose to go to the party. But you should be fine right? Sasuke will be there with you no matter how much he hates it."

He was crushed that Sakura would pick boring old school work over having a good time with her best friend, that much was clear but Sakura intended to stand firm on her decision. She pulled herself to her feet and restarted her trek back home, her phone held tightly to her head. Sure she felt bad for doing this to Naruto but a little white lie wouldn't hurt him. No, she didn't know what work she was about to get for school. She simply wasn't in the mood to dance around to loud music and grind on drunk boys. In fact, she fiddled with the idea of returning to the gym on the weekend.

"Sasuke isn't coming to the party. No matter how much I begged and pleaded for him to go with me, he told me he wouldn't! So I thought you'd want to go to the best party of the year with me." The boy sure didn't hesitate to be persistent. He'd be trying to change her mind all night now.

The row of houses on either side passed the girl as she talked. "Maybe Sasuke has plans Naruto. You can't assume he'll be free every day."

"But that's the thing. I talk to him all the time and he says he never has anything to do. He even said he'd go a few days ago. Then something happened and now he doesn't want to talk or hang out."

The pink haired girl's attention had begun to slip from the conversation to the first day of school and the hell she'd be living in for the next few months. Boy she wasn't ready for a new year of drama. In the interest of being a good pal she continued half listening to her hyperactive friend.

"How do you know something's up? Couldn't he be in one of his moody phases again?"

"_Sakura, can you keep a secret?"_ Naruto's dark shift in ton startled Sakura. Whatever he had to say, it must had been important.

"My lips are sealed."

"Sasuke's brother is in with the Akatsuki. Itachi probably got in too deep with them and that's why his family is so on edge."

Sakura gulped at the mention of Konoha High's most threatening gang of misfits and misanthropes. They spelled trouble wherever they went. Last year one of them was expelled for almost killing a boy and the year before was bomb threats and arson. If Sasuke's brother, Itachi associated with the Akatsuki than Sasuke would have a good reason lay low.

"I thought Itachi got straight A's. Wasn't he a good kid?" Sakura asked, her attention once again fully on Naruto.

"Guess not. He seemed okay from the 450 times I met him, but he comes off as secretive so I wouldn't put it past him."

"There isn't anything we can do about it if the Akatsuki are causing the Uchihas to act reclusive like this. All we can do is support Sasuke in any way we can and hope for the best." Sakura said, running through the few times she had met Itachi in the past. Him- an Akatsuki member? Somehow she doubted it was Itachi who had the normally impassive Sasuke as fearful as he seemed.

"Yeah, well I'm gonna go now. I got a terrible book with me name written all over it!" He chimed dimly before hanging up.

The girl spent the rest of her walk home in silence and contemplation. In her mind, Naruto's hypothetical story didn't add up. Itachi may possess secrets but Uchihas were known for family loyalty. Itachi went to visible lengths to show how much he cared for his family. He was the one showed up to all the events they hosted no matter what. It seemed odd that he would go against his family so suddenly. Sakura wanted to know what was really up. Since she sat with Sasuke at lunch all the time, she assumed there'd be no better time to get some answers.

When she reached her house, she walked in tentatively as to not disturb her likely sleeping parents and tiptoed up the old creaky stairs to her room.

Sakura spent the vast majority of the rest of her night in her room texting Hinata about her vacation and how wonderful it'd been. Soon enough at roughly 2:30 in the morning her eyes started to become heavy with sleep and she clambered into bed knowing she'd pay for staying up so late. It seems she really did waste the last day of summer but perhaps uncovering the mystery behind Sasuke's strange behavior would make up for it.

Sakura awoke to her alarm clock whopping and hollering angrily at her to get up. With no vigor she heaved herself out of bed, stumbling to her closet to find her uniform. Nothing was worse than mornings, even warm Friday morning like this one were unneeded, unwelcome pests. After getting dressed she made some toast and left out the front door. In a way she missed having both of her parents at home to gawk at how old she'd gotten on each first day of school. But they worked early now so it couldn't be helped. She'd have to make her own little memento of the year herself.

Her second to last year of High School started today and she intended to make it memorable no matter what.


End file.
